Insider Trading Probe Widens to SAC, Janus

NEW YORK ( TheStreet) -- Several money management firms, including Steven Cohen's SAC Capital, were contacted by federal authorities Tuesday in a burgeoning probe of insider trading in the money management industry.

SAC Capital issued a letter to investors stating that it has received an "extraordinarily broad" government subpoena, according to MarketWatch.

A call to SAC's offices was not immediately returned.

Janus Capital Group ( JNS) received a request for information, a company spokesperson confirmed.

"Janus Capital Group has received an inquiry calling for general information and intends to cooperate fully with that inquiry," a firm spokesperson said in an emailed statement. "Janus maintains rigorous compliance procedures and Janus has confidence in the integrity of its processes and its people."

Janus is a publicly traded money management firm with $160.8 billion in assets under management, according to the firm's Web site.

Boston-based Wellington Management Co. received a request for "documents" from federal investigators, according to a report by Bloomberg that cited a person familiar with the firm. The article states the request for documents was disclosed on "an internal conference call" but did not explain the firm's role in the probe.

A call to a Wellington spokesperson for comment was not returned.

According to the firm's Web site, Wellington is an investment adviser with $598 billion in assets under management. The firm is described as a private partnership that has more than 1,800 institutional clients.

The insider trading investigation was first reported by The Wall Street Journal Saturday. Several hedge fund offices were searched by the Federal Bureau of Investigation on Monday, including Level Global Investors, Diamondback Capital Management and Loch Capital Management.